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Panzer Dragoon Saga Disc 1 Secrets

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Disc 1 contains secrets such as the hidden worm passages in the desert, the Conana's Nest area where D Unit 01 is located, and hidden rainbows in the valley.

While these pages are titled “Disc 1 Secrets”, “Disc 2 Secrets” and so on, they actually cover everything that a player seems likely to miss in the game, rather than just the extremely well-hidden stuff. Because of this, more or less everything that can be done in the on-foot areas is covered, as so many of those things can only be done at certain points in time. Also note that these things are listed in that order that they can first be done in the game, so some things that appear on the “Disc 1 Secrets” page may still be accessible on disc 4, for example.

Open the Hanging Boxes

Hanging crates.

Although the hanging boxes dotted around the “Above the Excavation” area seem to do nothing when you Access them, they actually can be opened. If you keep Accessing a box rapidly it’ll eventually drop from its line, releasing either an item or a flock of birds. None of the items are particularly useful, but they can all be sold when you reach a shop.

Items at the Excavation Site

Examining the excavation site.

There are a couple of extra items that Edge can pick up as he walks around the small Excavation Site area. A Dinys Chip can be found in a brown container to the left of the blocked entrance, and there’s a Stolarium in a container to the right of Edge’s fallen Captain. Again, neither of these items is particularly useful, but you can sell them later on.

Astral Phantoms

Edge bonding with his dragon.

The first time you examine your dragon while at camp, you’ll be given the choice of naming him or not. If you do name the dragon, you’ll be able to interact with him whenever you’re at camp simply by examining him. This will bring up a small list of options, letting you treat him in different ways; “pet” is the choice that yields the best results. You can only do this once each time you visit your camp though, and you can’t interact with the dragon at night; if you do arrive at your camp after dark you should make use of the “Wait Until Morning” feature, in order to pet the dragon before you leave.

If you pet the dragon enough throughout the game, he’ll eventually learn the Astral Phantoms berserk technique, one of the five hidden “Extra Class” techniques. This kindness to the dragon also determines your final “spiritual closeness” rating at the end of the game.

Free Items from Gash

When you’re at your campsite in the ruins of Cainus with Gash, it’s possible to get a few free items from him. When you first talk to Gash there, quit the conversation and then talk to him a second time: if you do, he’ll sometimes give you three Elixir Minors and three Berserk Micros as a gift. It seems that Gash won’t always give you these items though, and the reason for this hasn’t yet been established. (If you think you know the explanation, we’d be happy to hear from you.)

Conana’s Nest and D Unit 01

If you return to the “Above Excavation Site” area after talking to your wounded Captain, a new hidden area will be accessible. You’ll now be able to Access the birds perched on the rocky columns along the left-hand path; if you do, the creatures will guide you to Conana’s Nest. This is a pretty small hidden area, but it contains D Unit 01 and an ambrosia, two very useful items. Be sure to cover the small field map for this area too, as it counts towards your final coverage rating at the end of the game.

Accessing a conana.

The conana's nest.

Hidden Rainbows

Hidden rainbows in the gulch.

An unusual hidden effect can be found in the Valley, but it only occurs if you return to the area after defeating the arachnoth boss. To see it, make your way back to Canyon Deep Gulch, and go to either of the wide areas where waterfalls fall from above, before you reach the lakes. If you turn to face the valley’s sides in those places, rainbows will appear.

Secret Worm Passage

When you reach the Worm Lair in the Garil Desert, you’ll notice that there is a sealed passage entrance in the southwest of the area. Although there’s no obvious way of opening it, there are three large ruined arches nearby; if you fly through these, a red worm will appear and break open the entrance for you. Inside this small hidden area (the “Secret Worm Passage”) you’ll find three Shield Chips.

Flying through the arches.

Inside the secret worm passage.

A similar hidden tunnel (the “Secret Worm Family Passage”) can be found at the Green Oasis area. To open it you only need to Access a baby worm in a nearby quicksand pool though, so it’s much harder to miss than this one.

Kuo Pollen and the Multiplying Plants

Amidst the kuo plants.

Many tall, swaying plants grow in the Green Oasis and Blue Ruins areas of the Garil Desert; if you try Accessing them, one will release some kuo pollen, which you can pick up by Accessing it when it falls to the ground. This item allows you to “lock” the flying speed of your dragon by pressing the L button while you’re moving.

Also, whenever you Access one of the plants it emits a white seed, which drifts upwards into the air. After Accessing several plants in this way, try leaving the area and then returning; you’ll find that new plants have grown from the seeds.

Sand Mites

If you return to the Garil Desert after defeating the gigra boss, you’ll be able to fight the hidden sand mite enemies; they can ambush you in four different spots around the Blue Ruins area, which are marked on the map below. If you have a telepathy shard you should know if you’re in the right place, because your radar will turn yellow.

Fighting the sand mites.

The locations of the sand mites.

If you return to the Blue Ruins and fight the sand mites while you’re still on disc 1, the 540 experience points that you get for an “Excellent” grade here will be huge compared to what you usually get this early in the game. You can of course fight sand mites as often as you want, simply by flying around in one of the four ambush spots shown above, so it’s probably a good idea to stay here fighting them for a while, at least until you stop going up a whole level after every battle.

John Woo Reference

If you go inside the right-hand yellow tent at the Caravan, you’ll notice a pair of guns resting on a shelf. If you examine them, you’ll find the inscription “From Mr. Woo”, which seems to be a reference to action film director John Woo.

Hidden Messages at the Forbidden Zone

This is only a small novelty, but it’s quite well hidden nonetheless. Your task at the Forbidden Zone is to reassemble the pieces of an artefact called the Sky Transporter; you can do this by finding each piece and Accessing it, which will cause the piece to move back towards the Transporter in the centre of the area. However, there are a couple of odd messages that you can trigger during this process.

Flying in the path of a segment.

Causing Edge to become dizzy.

When you find one of the segments, position the dragon right in front of it. If you then Access the segment, it’ll push the dragon along as it moves towards the centre of the area; doing this will cause Edge to say “Let’s stop this”, presumably meaning that he’s annoyed. Also, when all of the segments are reunited in the centre of the Forbidden Zone, they will start rotating. At this stage, if you lower the dragon down so that one of the segments pushes it around in a circle as it spins, Edge will say “I’m getting… dizzy”.